Section C. Horticulture Crops in the agro-ecosystem

Fruits and Vegetables

You will want to pick something that can be eaten without cooking and that comes in a wide range of varieties. For example dozens of apple varieties are grown in the upper Midwest. Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Lodi , Red Delicious, Jonathan, and MacIntosh are some of the more common varieties available. Less common varieties include Haralson, Wolf River, Arkansas Black, Fireside, Northern Spy, and many others.

CSA farms and farmers markets are often good sources for unusual varieties of vegetables and fruits. Your local Extension agent may also be able to refer you to farms that sell unusual fruit or vegetable varieties. If you or any of your students have home gardens, those can be a source of different varieties as well. It is a good idea to also get the varieties available at the local grocery store for comparison.

Examples of items you can use in September: Tomatoes, apples, fresh beans, peppers.
In October: Apples, salad greens
In May: salad greens
If you have a microwave available, you can also sample potatoes, which are available over a longer period of time, though local, sustainable growers may sell out of unusual varieties early.